The early bird gets the worm.
Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
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I’m not much of an early bird, and I put off everything tomorrow that I can do today. But when it comes to voting, nothing beats getting it done and out of the way.
Hey guys, I’m Christie Zizo and I’m back with more election news.
Early voting is already underway in Orange, Osceola and Lake counties (which began Thursday). But on Saturday, early voting begins everywhere in Florida.
That means you can now vote at a more convenient time for you and in more places around your county. Early voting happens in libraries and community centers and county elections offices. Can’t make it to the polls on a Tuesday? County elections officials have polls open five (sometimes six) other days of the week for you.
But hurry, early voting is over by Aug. 20 or 21, depending on your county.
Everything you need to know to vote in the primary can be found in our Florida Primary Voting Guide HERE!
And remember, if you have any questions about elections in Florida or voting, you can always email me at czizo@wkmg.com .
Here are the county early voting dates and times, and links to find a location near you.
ORANGE COUNTY
- Primary Early Voting – Aug. 8 through Aug. 21, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early voting locations
SEMINOLE COUNTY
- Primary Early Voting – Aug. 13 through Aug. 20, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Early voting locations
OSCEOLA COUNTY
- Primary Early Voting – Aug. 8 through Aug. 21, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early voting locations
VOLUSIA COUNTY
- Primary Early Voting – Aug. 13 through Aug. 20, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Early voting locations
BREVARD COUNTY
- Primary Early Voting – Aug. 13 through Aug. 20 Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Early voting locations
LAKE COUNTY
- Primary Early Voting – Aug. 11 through Aug. 20, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Early voting locations
MARION COUNTY
- Primary Early Voting – Aug. 13 through Aug. 20, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Early voting locations
FLAGLER COUNTY
- Primary Early Voting – Aug. 13 through Aug. 20, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Early voting locations
SUMTER COUNTY
- Primary Early Voting – Aug. 13 through Aug. 20, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Early voting locations
POLK COUNTY
- Primary Early Voting – Aug. 13 through Aug. 20, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Early voting locations
News 6′s Key Races
There are 141 races happening across Central Florida’s 10 counties on Aug. 23. That’s... a lot. With more to come in November.
So on election night, count on News 6 to have the results for all those races. But let’s face it, everyone is watching some races closer than others.
So to help you do that, we’ve selected 12 races happening in our area that we are watching, and we think you should be too.
These are News 6′s Key Races:
- Florida Governor Democratic primary — The winner of this primary faces Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Libertarian Party candidate, two no-party-affiliate candidates, and three write-in candidates in November.
- Florida Attorney General Democratic primary — The winner of this primary faces Attorney General Ashley Moody in November.
- Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is leaving to run for governor, which means this seat on Florida’s Cabinet is open and up for grabs. The winners of these primaries will face off in November.
- U.S. Senate Democratic primary — The winner of this primary faces Sen. Marco Rubio in November.
- Rep. Stephanie Murphy is retiring, which means this congressional seat is up for grabs, and since it’s been redrawn, it’s catering to a different group of voters. The winners of these two primaries will face off in the November election with a write-in candidate.
- Rep. Val Demings is running for U.S. Senate, which means this congressional seat is open. This district has also been redrawn, which could affect the outcome. There are 16 candidates running in the Democratic and Republican primaries, and the winners of the two races will face a no party affiliate candidate in November.
- U.S. House District 11 Republican primary — Rep. Daniel Webster is being challenged by two other Republicans. The winner of this primary faces Democrat Shante Munns and Kevin Porter, who is not affiliated with a political party, in November.
- Florida Senate District 15 Universal primary — This primary is open to all voters in this district in Orange County, regardless of party affiliation.
- Florida House District 29 Republican primary — Two Republican state lawmakers are facing off in this newly-redrawn district. The winner faces Democrat Rick Karl in November.
Remember, Florida is a closed-primary state, which means only party members can vote in party primaries. But there are nonpartisan elections on the ballots. Learn more about what that means for the rest of the election on Aug. 23 HERE.
In addition to these races, we are also keeping a close eye on all of Central Florida’s school board races. With controversial laws affecting schools, the rise of the Moms for Liberty group, and statewide political candidates getting involved in the normally calm school board races, what happens could have a big effect kids, teachers and staff.
Remember, these are nonpartisan races, which means they are open to all voters.
Key Election Dates
- Saturday, Aug. 13: Start of early voting across Florida, PLUS the deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot.
- Saturday, Aug. 20: End of early voting in Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Marion, Polk, Seminole, Sumter, Volusia counties
- Sunday, Aug. 21: End of early voting in Orange and Osceola counties
- Tuesday, Aug. 23: Primary Election Day. All vote-by-mail ballots must be in the supervisor of elections offices by 7 p.m.
- Tuesday, Oct. 11: Last day to vote before the November election
- Tuesday, Nov. 8: General Election
Latest 2022 Election News
And finally... an Election Myth debunked
MYTH: Anyone can stop you from voting.
THE TRUTH: There are poll monitors who can challenge your vote. But they cannot make frivolous challenges, and in fact, can be fined for doing so. Moreover, even if your vote faces a challenge, you will be given a provisional ballot, which the county elections office will check against your records to make sure you are allowed to vote.